Propeller



ug. 8, 1933. B, B. MccRosKY 1,921,534

PROPELLER Filed Feb. 29, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR4 Aug. s, 1933.B. B. MCCROSKY 1,921,534

` PROPELLER Filed Feb. 29, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 /1 TTORNE YS.

Aug. 8, 1933. B Bl MCCROSKY 1,921,534

PROPELLER Filed Feb. 29, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 W @v 771 SQ il@ Vgearingor other suitable means.

Patented l'uug.l g, 1933 Amirra stares PATENT erica a deviceas outlinedWithan especially eflicient.

type of vane which is operable only during a portion or each revolutionwhereby the propeller to one side of the axis develops full power whilethe other side oilers substantially no resistance.

A further object oi the invention is to provide a shutter type vane andautomatic means for its operation. g Other objects and advantages of theinvention will become apparent as the following description is read onthe drawings forming a part oi this cification and inA which similarreference characters are used to designate similar parts throughout' theseveral views'and in which:

Fig. 1 Yis a side elevation of the invention.

Fig. 2 a front elevation of the invention.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the mechanically actuated vane'.Y

Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 4--4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a View showing the automatically actuated vane.

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view showing the position of the shuttersoperated as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, throughout one revolution of thee wheel.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary View showingthe shutters open. v

Fig. 9 is a sectional elevation of a modiiication of the invention takenon line 9-9 of Fig. 10.

Fig. 10 is a front elevation of the modification shown in Fig. 9. Y

The invention consists of a pair of spaced apart wheels l0 and 1l, thewheel 10 having inwardly extending hub '12 and wheel 11 having aninwardly extending hub 14, these wheels being rotatably mounted on acrank shaft l5. The crank shaft has one end rotatably supported in abearing 16, the other end being provided with adjusting means 17 whichmay consist of a lever,

Hub 13 is rotatably supported in a bearing 18, whereby the device issupported by the crank shaft on one side and by the hub i3 on the otherside. The crank 19 is straddled by the hubs 12 and 14.

The crank shaft has an eccentric 20 interposed between the bearing loand outside of wheel 11. Power is takenfrom or delivered to the devicethrough the hub 13, suitable gears or pulleys being Ysecured betweenbearing 13 and lever 1'? on thehubr13.

Fixedly secured between the wheels 1,0 and 1l are brackets `2l which areequally spaced about the periphery Aand extend inwardly as shown, andare provided withtwo spaced apart pivots 22 and 23. Vanes 24, 25, 26and2'7 each'have two pivots spaced apart as at 23 and 29.y Y

lA collar 30 is rotatably mounted on the crank le and has a pivot 31 foreach vane, and connecting rods connect between the pivots 31 and 29while other rods connect respectively between the pivots 22' and ,29,and 23and 23 respectively. ySecured to kthe rims of wheels 1'0 and 11are equally spaced shutter vanes 32, 33, 34 and 35, each of whichconsists of a frame having sides 36 and 37 and top 38 and bottom v39.Pivoted between the sides 36 and 37 are a plurality of shutter blades43, the pivots being indicated at 4l. The bladesV 40 each have anintegralcam member .42 provided with ra oamuslot 43 which is so formedas to actuate the shutters in such manner as to provide the highestemciency or lowest reaction, these cam members being .spaced from theside 36. interposed between side36 and cam members 42 is a plate 44having pins 45 cooperating with cam slots 43 and an outwardly extendingpin 46 which is slidabie in a vertical slot in the side 36. Theactuating mechanism for the shutter consists of -a plunger 47 havingoutwardly extending y.

pins 48 which engage the pin 46,' the plunger being connected to thecollar 30 by means of connecting rods 49, the plungers being resilientlycushioned to prevent chatter, and housed with a shell '56 which issuitably secured to the side 36.

A collar 5l is rotatably mounted on the eccentric 20 and has theconnecting rods 49 pivoted thereto as indicated at 52. f

An automatic shutter vane is indicated in Figs.

6 and 8 and consists of a housing 53 in which a plurality of pairs ofshutters are pivoted at 54,

the pairs each consisting of blades 55 and 56 prosive are actuated bythe rotation of the wheels 10 and 11 and actuate the wheel by thevariation in distance o1 the vanes from the axis of the wheel. With thewind blowing in the direction indicated by the arrow the pressure onvanes 24 and 26 would be substantially equal but the distance of vane 24from the axis of the wheel is about twice that of vane 28. By adjustingcrankshaft 15 through an angle or" one hundred eighty degrees, thedirection of rotation of the wheel would be reversed.

With the vanes 32 to 35, rotation of the wheels 10 and 11 cause theshutters 40 to open and close once for each revolution and under thesame conditions as outlined for vanes 2a to 27, the shutters are open invane 34 starting to open in 33, closed in 32 and just completed closingin vane 35.

Referring to Fig. 7, with the wind blowing .in the direction of thearrows, the wheel would .turn clockwise and there would be practicallyno resistance -at the positions 8l, 52, 63, 64 and 65 while the fullwind pressure would be available at positions 66, 57 and 68. Y

By driving the wheel clockwise from an external source oi power windpressure would be created in the direction of the arrows from the lowerpart ci the fan only. The cam slots 43 can be so formed as to providethe exact operation of the blades as required for any particularpurpose.

A modiiication of the shutter vane propeller is shown in Figs. 9 and 10in which a pair of spaced apart wheels 69 and 70 which havel inwardlyand outwardly extending hubs 7l and 72 are rotatably mounted in bearings73 and 74 integral with a base 75.

A crankshaft 76 is rotatably mounted in the hubs 7l and 72 and hasailixed at one end, adjusting means which is indicated in the drawingsas a sprocket?? and chain '78 which may be operated by means of asprocket '79 through worm gear 80 and worm 81 and which will lbesubstantially self-locking in adjusted position.

Rotatably mounted on the crank 82 of crankshaft "76 is a spider 83having` arms equal in number to the number of vanes used.

The automatic shutter vane indicated in Figs.

n and 8, is particularly adapted to this type of propeller and theseshutter vanes are mounted in pairs as shown at 84 and 85 which arerespectively pivoted at 86 and 87 and intermediately connected by a pin88 secured in the inside walls 53 and forming a crank which is pivotedin the ends of the arms on the spider 83.

Driving means such as a pinion or pulley is secured on one of the hubextensions 72.

With the wheel 69-70 driven in the direction indicated by the arrow, andthe crankshaft 76 adjusted in the position shown in the drawings, airreaction at the top vane 89 will be inthe direction indicated by thearrow in Fig. 6 causing the vanes to separate forming a full reactivesurface. At 90 the shutters 55-56 will be idle as there will be no airreaction. At 91 the air reaction will be in the direction indicated byarrow 92 in Figs. 6 and 8, automatically opening the vane with theshutters in the position shown in Fig. 8, the vanes maintaining aposition parallel to each other.

`By adjusting crankshaft 76 clockwise through ninety degrees, the vaneswill all be directed radially to the right as viewed in Fig. 9 and theair reaction will be upward on the right hand vane 90 and vanes 89 and91 will be idle.

Having described an operable method of constructing and. using theinvention it will be noted that variations in construction andarrangement In combination with a propeller, a shutter vane comprising aframe, a plurality of shutter blades pivotally mounted in said lne,integral cam members for said blades, and having cam slots formedtherein, a plate having projecting pins cooperating with said earnslots, an outwardly projecting pin on said plate operating through aslot in the side of said housing, a plunger coA operating with said pin,and means for operat-V

